Flag for mailboxes



Aug. 17, 1948. H. c. BAKER FLAG FOR MAIL BOXES Filed Jan. '7, 1944 IN VEN TOR.

Henry 6 30/286 A'ITEIRN EYE Patented Aug. 17 1948 7 Henry C. Baker, Muskegon, Mich.

. Application January 7, 1944, Serial No. 517,400

The invention relates to signalling devices and ficient in operation, possessing few parts, thus relieving the same from any disorder, and inexpensiv to manufacture and install.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described in detail, illustrated in the'accompanying drawing, which discloses the preferred embodiment of the invention, and pointed out in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a side view of a fragmentary portion of a mail box equipped with a signal con structed in accordance with my invention, the signal being shown in full lines in signalling position and in dotted lines in non-signalling position.

Figure 2 is a front elevation.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary top plan partly in section.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the keeper of the device, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the keeper.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views in the drawing,

Referring to the drawing in detail A designates generally a portion of a rural mail box, which may be of any conventional construction, having a vertically swinging front closure B, it being hinged at Ii! to the body of the box The signalling device constituting the present invention, comprises a flag staff I I formed in this instance from a single straight flat bar of metal, although it may be made from any other suitable rigid material, and is adapted for vertical swinging movement upon a horizontally disposed pivot bolt I2, which secures the staff l2 to the side of the body of the box A, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing.

The staff I I has a rigid flag emblem I3 there- 3 Claims. (01. 232-35) 2 on atone side of the pivot bolt I2 and preferably on the upper or longer arm of the staff II, while the lower or shorter arm of the staff has a rounded hook extremity M with a notch I5.

' The flag staff I I when in a non-signalling position rests in a saddle l6 fixed to the side of the box Ain horizontal alignment with the bolt I2,

7 assuming the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 1, from a signalling vertical position denoted by full lines in said figure of the drawing.

The closure B has fixed thereto the lateral ear terminals ll of a double armed V-shaped keeper member I8. .The terminals I! are at right-angles to the keeper member I8 and are offset as at Ila to arrange the member I8 beyond that side of the box A having thesignal stair II thereon and to permit theears tobe secured to the door B in full abuttingrelation thereto. This member 58 has twisted therefrom a crosswise disposed keeper eye I9 which on the shutting of the closure 13 will lie in the path of, the hook extremity I4 for the latters engagement therein when the said staff II ismoved to vertical or upright position for signalling thedeposit of mail matter Within the'box A. The keeper member 29 is corrugated V vertically to add strength and rigidity thereto.

When the closureB is moved to open position, the staff I8 will swing to a horizontal position for resting in the saddle I6, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1 of the drawing, thus indicating the the mail box has been emptied of contents.

If desired, the keepermember may .be constructed'as shown in Figure 5. In this form thereof the keeper member I8 consists simpl of an L-shaped member. The shorter arm II of the keeper member is provided with openings to adapt it to be secured by bolts to the door l3. The longer arm N of the keeper member has its rear end formed to provide an eye I9 for engagement with the hooked end I5 of the staff I I. The keeper member is corrugated vertically to add strength and rigidity thereto, and it is especially distance inwardly from the front end thereof,

a flag carried at the upper end of said stair, said staff being normally disposed in vertical position to display said flag above the top side of said box and having a rearwardly opening notch formed adjacent its lower end, the lower end of said staff being forwardly and upwardly curved, an angled bracket secured to a side edge of the door and extending rearwardly therefrom alongside said one side of said box, and a horizontally disposed member at the rearwardly directed end of said bracket, said member bein apertured to form a keeper adapted to be engaged by the lower end of said staff when the staff is swung to vertical position, said notch interlocking with the rearwardly directed side of said aperture to positively latch the staff in its vertical position, the curvature at the lower end of the staff providing a clearance to facilitate the engagement and disengagement of that end with and from said keeper when the staff is swung to and from vertical position.

2. In a signal device for a rural mail box having an open front end and a hinged door for said.

end, said signal comprising a staff carrying a flag at the upper end thereof, a bolt pivotally mounting the staff intermediate the ends thereof on one side of the box, the pivot bolt of the staff being spaced rearwardly from the front end of the box a distance greater than the length of that partion of the staff extending downwardly from the pivot bolt, whereby to space the lower end of the staff rearwardly from the front end of the box when the staff is in horizontal position, said staff having an arcuate surface on the forward edge of the lower end portion thereof and havin a notch in the rear edge of said end portion, said notch being spaced upwardly from the lower end of the staff, and a keeper having right angularly related arms of different lengths, the keeper having its shorter arm secured to the front face of the door and the longer arm positioned close to said side of the box to which the staff is pivoted, the longer arm extending from the door to a point rearwardly beyond a vertical plane intersecting the pivot bolt of the staff, said keeper having a horizontally disposed rear end portion provided with an aperture, said aperture receiving the lower end of the staff with the front wall of the aperture contacting with the arcuate edge of the staff and with the lower side of said horizontal portion contacting with the bottom wall of the notch of the staff whereby to maintain the staff in upright position when the door is closed, said arcuate surface of the staff being immediately in front of the notch of the stafi to facilitate the insertion of the lower end of the staff into the aperture and to facilitate the removal of the lower end of the staff from the aperture.

3. A flag signal device for rural mail boxes having a front end opening and hinged door normally closing the opening, said flag signal comprising a staff pivotally mounted intermediate its ends to one side of said box and at a distance inwardly from the front end thereof, a flag carried at the upper end of said staff, said staff being normally disposed in vertical position to display said flag above the top side of said box, the lower end of said staff being curved at its forward edge, a bracket secured to the door and extending rearwardly therefrom alongside said side of said box and recessed at its rearward end to receive the curved lower end of said staff when the staff .is in vertical position, the rear edge of the recess engaging the rear side of said staff to lower the flag when the door is opened, the curved end of the staff allowing the staff to rotate about said pivot and out of said recess when the door is opened.

HENRY C. BAKER.

REFERENCES CITED T e following references are of record in the of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

